So basically:

-Remove intercooler cover
-Loosen passenger intercooler boot
-Remove driver side intercooler boot and intercooler
-Remove air intake tube
-unclamp BPV clamp
-unbolt driver side intercooler horn
-replace BPV on horn
-reverse

Anything major that I'm missing there that will keep this from happening?

 

You will see a little light around the edges so I wouldn't worry.

 

Nope, the hardest part will be getting the valve back on the rubber, also if you have never removed the intercooler boot clamps best to keep them together the way you removed them as they only go back together a certain way.

 

Ok so sll those steps are right except putting it back together getting the bpv in the tube on the bottom is a pain and getting the intercooler boot clamps on is a pain? So when I remove the driver side ones should I just put them back together the way they came off?

 

I have everything off but I can't pull the horn off because the bpv won't seperate from the tube below it. I took the lower clamp off it but it won't pull free

 

might have to spray the rubber but it should come off if the horn is off the bolts, it's comes hard.

 

Got it, just had to push down on that pipe underneath it to slide the horn off the threads.

job took slightly longer than an hour because I had to run to pep boys and get some ring clamps like everyone said hahaha. I totally forgot to get them.

Only drove the car for about 5 minutes and it still felt about the same. I did discover that there was a HUGE hole in the intake tube where it gets "bendy" so I threw some duct tape on it until I get a new tube... so that may have been causing some issues.

We'll see how it runs when I get the chance to drive it more.

I reset the ECU and my wife took off in it to go shopping. hahaha

 

After taking my car for a drive today I also realized the car is still hesitating. However now I have 2 more lbs of boost with the new bypass valve. I ordered new wires and if that doesn't help I'm gonna get a new coil pack. Hopefully that works, if not I'm gonna try a different set of colder plugs because the plugs are brand new. I'm guessing your problem is quite similar to mine.

 

Yea, I still haven't looked at the plugs since buying the car a few weeks ago. I was planning on changing them out when I do the oil change in a few weeks.

The wires look pretty new...

 

Have you checked your #3 lead on the coil pack for corrosion? Mine has significant corrosion like many other r53s.

 

I didn't know that was a thing! I'll take the wire off when my wife gets home and check it

 

Yea, +1 on the terminals, check all four while you are there. The back ones seem to collect the most moisture under the boot.

 

The coil looks awesome, looks like it was replaced at some point recently.

Going to change out the spark plugs and see if that helps. The ones in there look a bit old.

Also looking at getting a 15% pulley but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to change the tensioner while I'm in there. I will probably wait on the spark plugs so I can get some colder ones with the pulley.

Also might do a megan racing intake shield with K&N or the DIY intake mod into the stock air box with a K&N filter.

We'll see.

Then a rear sway bar and I'm all set

 

Changing the tensioner would be a good idea it's gonna rattle eventually. Rock auto has gates tensioners for $80.

 

Is there anywhere I can borrow a pulley puller instead of buying one? I definitely don't want to buy it HAHAHA.

Oh and I want to paint the chrome in the headlight and tail lights.... but everyone says the headlights are a huge pain in the but. Is that true? I've done it on a 98 Civic, 02 WRX, 05 WRX and an older impreza... is it that much harder on the pre facelift Cooper?

 

Headlights are a pain if you don't remove them, wmw lends the pullers but the wait is usually a month.

 

Alright so I just ordered a Uni foam filter to make a diy jcw intake box.

I'd love to paint the headlight housing but I'm not sure I feel like doing the job.

 

Installed a subwoofer/ box and amp today also switched out the spark plugs.

Car still seems like it hesitates at low rpms. There was a little bit of oil in cylinder 1 when I pulled the spark plug. Not sure if I should be looking into replacing the valve cover gasket or if it's a more serious problem.

 

Probably just the valve cover gasket, which means your new plug is gonna foul also.

 

interested to see how this works out.

good luck

 

For what it's worth, I changed my wires out for a set of NGKs and my hesitation is gone.

 

The valve cover gasket doesn't seal around the sparkplug tubes, there are seals that are integral to the valve cover that may be allowing oil to pass by. They're not sold separately from the valve cover, so purchasing a new one is the fix.

Many cars I've worked on have a small amount of oil on the threads of the plugs, the oil isn't going to foul out the plug, as it isn't entering the combustion chamber. Severely worn valve guides & seals will cause plug fouling, along with running the car rich, but a leaking valve cover gasket won't.

Personally I would have waited on plugs until you made your mind up on if you wanted to do a pulley kit, as you will need to run a stage colder plug with the pulley. You can replace the tensioner at the same time as well, but if it isn't making noise or causing issues due to being worn I wouldn't replace it. The amount of work to do the tensioner at a later date is only slightly more so than doing it at the same time.

We rent the pulley puller out, but currently all of ours are loaned out. If you do attempt to do the pulley swap, you need to have a torque wrench capable of reading inch lbs.

We have one customer that did Joey mod his headlights, while it looks good, the one housing didn't go back together the same, and is slightly protruded from the hood. I would just black out the headlight rings, and washer jet cover, the chrome that is in the headlights gives the car a face if you will, removing all the chrome takes away from the looks of the car, and it all kinda blends together.

Nick
Detroit Tuned

 

Is that possibly the rattling that I'm hearing while the car is rattling form the engine bay?

Would the tensioner cause hesitation? I know the coil pack is new but I don't think the wires are.

Thank you, I'll probably skip the valve cover gasket until I have a reason to get in there. I got the new plugs because the old ones looked really warn and it was only $20 to replace them. It might be another month or 2 before I get the pulley and I just wanted the car running as good as possible before then.

As far as the tensioner, what kind of noise would I be looking for to see if its bad or not? There is a rattling coming from under the hood and I haven't really tried to pinpoint what it is.

I like the look of the blacked out headlight housing and rings. I've seen a few and it looks amazing. If not if will be the only chrome on the outside of the car and I'm worried about it looking like garbage. Might just see if anyone will be selling their facelift Joey modded xenon lights for the better light output anyway.

 

The chain tensioner won't cause a hesitation, just chain rattle or clatter. If the belt was slipping on the pulleys, I could see a hesitation issue, but you would have a CEL, and the spring on the tensioner is quite strong, so slack in the belt drive would be hard to believe.

Typical tensioner noises can vary, depending on the condition it could rattle, squeek, grind, chirp, excessive belt noise, and so on and so forth.

 

I must have misunderstood I was referring to belt tensioner. Which could cause the belt to slip.